MORE than 6,000 passengers travelled over the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway’s extension to Broadway over the Easter week as people flocked to be among the first to reach the village by rail in almost 60 years.

The formal opening of the extension on Good Friday (March 30) was the precursor to a record-breaking few days, with in excess of 4,000 fare-paying passengers travelling between Good Friday and Easter Monday alone, in what can only be described as ‘dreadful’ weather conditions at times.

Carrying a Return to Broadway headboard, Churchward 2-8-0 No. 2807 is seen at Buckland heading to Broadway on April 14. MALCOLM RANIERI

In spite of the railway issuing warnings about the lack of parking at the new station, people still turned up in droves and the road beneath the railway was lined with cars;
a vintage bus service linked the station to the village centre.

Appropriately, the motive power during the four days came from the railway’s Western Region stable, with ‘Modified Hall’ No. 7903 Foremarke Hall taking the strain on well-loaded eight-coach trains together with ‘Manor’ No. 7820 Dinmore Manor and ‘28XX’ 2-8-0 No. 2807.

Read more in the May issue of The RM – on sale now!

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